3rd May 2025 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong’s premier tourist attractions faced relentless crowds on the third day of mainland China’s May Day Golden Week holiday (3rd May), with visitors enduring multi-hour queues for the Ngong Ping 360 cable car and The Peak Tram. Despite hopes of escaping the throngs by heading to elevated destinations, travellers found congestion persisting even at height.
At Tung Chung’s Ngong Ping 360 station, snaking queues stretched beyond the terminal, looping halfway around the adjacent swimming complex. Social media posts from mainland tourists revealed waits exceeding 90 minutes just to reach escalators leading to boarding areas.
Meanwhile, Central’s Peak Tram terminus saw similar chaos, with estimated wait times hitting 1.5 hours by mid-morning. One mainland traveller admitted arriving early to avoid delays but conceded: “I thought fewer people would come in the morning—I was wrong.” Those who reached Victoria Peak encountered packed observation decks at the Sky Terrace and lengthy queues for buses back to the city, with hundreds crowding the terminus for Route 15 services.
Authorities deployed barricades at both sites to manage pedestrian flow and prevent queue-jumping. The scenes underscored the strain on Hong Kong’s tourism infrastructure during peak holiday periods, despite efforts to streamline access.
The Ngong Ping 360, connecting Tung Chung to the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, and The Peak Tram, a historic funicular to Victoria Peak, are perennial draws for mainland visitors. However, this year’s Golden Week—a five-day national break—has amplified pressures, with tourist numbers rebounding post-pandemic.
